CHAPTER ONE

VIVIAN

A soft moan echoed off the tiled walls as I approached the bathroom. Who the hell has sex at an event center of all places?

As Luna, I was preparing my most judgmental speech for the shameless culprits.

But then I heard the woman say, “Ronald,”.

I froze.

That name rang a bell. I knew almost everyone in this building, and as far as I was aware, only one man here bore the name Ronald. My husband and fated mate.

My brain scrambled for excuses. Maybe it wasn’t my Ronald. Maybe I was hearing things. Maybe someone was playing a weird p**n clip on their phone.

“Don't stop, Ronald. Don't fucking stop.”

Surely, Ronald couldn’t be so downright stupid as to cheat on me. That thought alone made me shove the door open without thinking, and the sight that greeted me made me wish I’d stayed in blissful ignorance.

There he was, my husband, tangled up with another woman. The man the goddess supposedly handcrafted for me was doing the very opposite of staying faithful.

Watching him cheat on me was like a slap to the face, and a kick to the gut.

I guess I wasn’t so special after all. The truth hit me hard, especially since this was the same man who spent years convincing me I was the only woman he could ever love.

He acted like the perfect husband. He acted like he didn't have eyes for another woman except me and I trusted him, but now here he was.

The way he was thrusting into her and making pig-like grunts didn’t look like a man struggling with a guilty conscience.

He was so deep in the act and didn't notice my presence until he pulled out his cock and spewed his cum on her thigh.

“Ronald?”

My voice trembled, barely recognizable. He froze, caught like a kid stealing cookies from the jar.

The girl he was screwing—Jessica, some bratty Alpha daughter from the neighboring pack—had the audacity to smile.

"Couldn’t she have the decency to knock?" she blurted out like I was the one inconveniencing them.

“Well, I’m glad she found out. At least we wouldn’t need to be playing hide and seek anymore.” She added.

I blinked, unable to process her words. So this wasn't a one-time thing?

My eyes, which must have been wider than saucers, swung back to Ronald, who was standing there with his semi-limp cock.

“Hold on? This isn't the first time? You ask me for sex all the time yet you cheat on me with her? I even learned to take it rough and do whatever depriving act you like! Why the hell would you do this to me?”

Ronald opened his mouth to speak, probably to unleash some half-assed excuse that even he wouldn’t believe.

But probably because the universe apparently had a dark sense of humor, the MC’s voice boomed over the speakers at that exact moment.

“Let’s welcome to the stage, Luna and CEO of The Miller Group and Enterprise, Mrs. Vivian Miller!” We heard the Mc announce.

Holy. Shit. How in the world was I supposed to give a speech seconds after catching my husband with another woman?

Ronald watched me in silence. He thought I’d break down or cause a scene. Looking at him now, I realized the bastard wasn’t even sorry. Not one ounce of remorse was in his expression. Just smug, cowardly silence.

So, I did the opposite of what he and Jessica expected. No matter how much I wanted to stay and drag them through the mud, I turned on my heel and left. My stilettos clicked against the floor, hiding the way my heart was breaking with each step.

Ronald didn’t call me back. Not even a single, “Wait, Vivian.” Nothing. And that silence was soul-crushing.

But this wasn’t the time to fall apart. My father, the retired Beta of our pack, was handing over his company to me today.

A legacy built on his blood, sweat, and tears, and now it was my responsibility.

There were too many eyes on me to crumble, I couldn’t, so I put on a fake smile so wide it felt like my face might crack, greeted everyone with practiced pleasantries, and pretended my life wasn’t in flames.

When it was time to take pictures, Ronald snaked his arm around me like he hadn’t just been caught screwing another woman. The warmth of his touch burned like acid.

And then when I saw Jessica’s lipstick stain on his shirt, my heart shattered into a thousand tiny pieces I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to put back together.

But for the sake of appearances, I smiled for the camera. Because if I was going to break down, it wouldn’t be here.

Ronald kept acting normal like nothing happened. Every second he spent in my presence felt like a slow descent into madness.

The more he stared at me, the more nauseated I grew. When he finally disappeared, it felt like someone had lifted a ton of weight off my chest.

After successfully dodging my dad, my mom, and my younger sister—because goddess forbid that they pick up on the fact that Ronald cheated on me right here—I made my way to my car.

I didn’t even know where I was driving at first. My mind was foggy, but one thing was clear: Ronald was going to tell me to my face what I had done to deserve this betrayal.

When I pulled into the driveway of the Alpha mansion, the silence that greeted me was nothing new.

The pack house always had this museum-like atmosphere that made me feel more like a guest than a Luna. All I wanted now was to find Ronald and confront him.

Seeing him seated in one of the private living rooms, one leg arrogantly crossed over the other, casually sipping liquor from a glass like he didn’t have a care in the world, made my blood boil.

Then, to top it all off, a smug smile spread across his face. How could he have the nerve to smile after cheating?

“I know you’re about to give me an earful,” he said lazily and swirled his drink. “But let me save you the stress. Let’s get a divorce.”

I gasped as the words slammed into me. Before I could respond, he tossed an envelope onto the table.

It felt like my heart was being ripped straight out of my chest. He was casually throwing our marriage away like it was yesterday’s trash.

Tears welled up in my eyes. Even though he cheated on me, divorce hadn’t crossed my mind.

Call me naïve, but as far as I was concerned, 90% of men cheated. I was willing to forgive him if he promised to change and never do it again.

However that didn’t mean I’d trust him. He had broken the trust I had in him and it would have taken years to build it back again.

“You’re joking, right?” I said, my voice trembling as I forced the words out.

Before he could speak, a voice rang out from the stairs. “Baby!!”

I turned toward the sound, and my stomach dropped. Jessica, the brat, descended my stairs like she owned the place, wearing nothing but Ronald’s polo. Her bare thighs were on full display.

“You brought her to our home?” I cried out as I pointed a trembling finger at Jessica.

Jessica’s smirk widened like she was enjoying every second of my misery. Ronald didn’t have the decency to look guilty. Instead, he took another sip of his drink, as if none of this was happening.

“Just sign the papers, and mind the way you talk to me, you know I'm the daughter of an Alpha. Did you really think that Alpha Ronald would stay with a boring bitch like you forever?” Jessica sneered and folded her arms on her chest while Ronald placed his hands over her shoulders, caressing it.

Enraged, confused, and on the brink of tears, I didn’t want to believe what was going on. Perhaps this was a sick joke or a nightmare.

“Henceforth you must address me as your Alpha and you heard her. Now sign the papers. You're boring as hell,” Ronald spat coldly, sending chills down my spine.

I had never felt so stupid and embarrassed like how I felt at that moment.

With the workers in the packhouse witnessing everything that was happening and giving me pitiful looks, I felt like disappearing from the surface of the earth.

With a heavy heart and a soul that felt like it was being torn to shreds, I walked to the table where the divorce papers lay. They stared back at me like a death sentence. My fingers trembled as I picked them up.

If he didn’t want me anymore, who was I to hold on to him?

Even though I still loved him—a truth that felt more pathetic by the second—I sure as hell wasn’t about to beg him to love me or stay with me.

The ink on the paper was blurry through my watery gaze. My fingers grabbed the pen, and as much as it killed me, I was ready to sign.

Then, as if the universe hadn’t already slapped me hard enough, Ronald and Jessica decided this was the perfect time to spite me.

They started kissing—right in front of me. Her nails clawed at his shirt, and his hands roamed her butt like I wasn’t even there.

The pen slipped slightly from my grip after I was done signing the divorce papers and before I could snap at the duo making out, a growl emerged from the entrance, cutting through the tension like a blade.

The sound was primal, raw, and packed with fury, shattering Ronald and Jessica’s sick little show. As we all instantly turned to check who it was.